izigame.me

I did not come into this game expecting anything more than what I saw in the 16 minute preview. My situation is this - I have a full time job, and am in night school. My game time is limited, and as an adult with adult problems, my mental bandwidth is limited. I don't have it in me at the end of a long day working, studying, and handling chores and responsibilities, to play a title as demanding mentally as Baldur's Gate, for example.
I do, however, have time to dive into a quick run, or into the middle of a previously started run, to explore a visually gorgeous (in my opinion) and audibly fantastic (in my opinion) level, and just turn my brain off and have a blast going mano a mano with some big bads as big red. Is the combat simplistic? Sure. Realistically speaking, though, all I want in a fight between two big bruisers is to feel like our hits are crunchy and cause some damage. And this game captures that feeling perfectly. This isn't a choreographed Kung fu fight. It's a knock down drag out street fight, and that's what I always imagined Hellboy's fights to look like.
So, in short, I like it. It's just what I need to unwind after a long day's work, and the cherry on top is I get to play as one of my favorite fictional characters, recreated faithfully and with respect. Also, runs GREAT on the steam deck (just change the resolution to 720p).
I'm only about 2hrs in, but I'm hoping that the game's difficulty goes up. BUT (in case the Devs see this), this does not mean I want Hellboy to feel weaker. Only for the challenge to increase in order to facilitate repeat playthroughs or just endless romps. More enemies spawning? Yes. If you increase their damage a bit and make them a little bit (a LITTLE bit) more spongey, while throwing more of them at me, I think it'd hit a sweet spot. I like that I feel like a power house taking on other power houses. It just feels like there's never enough of them in front of me to go "oh shit" like the comics often portray.
But great work ya'll. I wanted to have fun and feel like Hellboy on a weird wacky mission, and I feel just like that. I'll update the review if anything more pops up but that's it!
Tldr : Fun, non-committal game perfect for just turning your brain off and going along for the ride, or, zoning in and Really digesting the story (just like if you were reading a comic book!) after a long days work. Great soundtrack that fits Hellboy perfectly. Fun, crunchy combat that COULD demand we use more of it's features (directional power attacks, charms, guns, environment, etc), if there were a few more enemies/slightly tougher enemies during encounters. Hellboy looks and sounds awesome. Story, lore and characters are fun and intriguing. Beautiful artstyle. Just...simply a good time. A complete game that does exactly what it says on the tin, and simply asks you to have a good time with characters you likely already know and love. Worth a buy.